Pennsylvania Republicans are trying to force the state to join other conservative states in the attempt to pass state sanctioned rape.

Sponsored by GOP Rep. Kathy Rapp, House Bill 1077 would force women to undergo an ultrasound, hear the fetal heartbeat, and present images of the fetus to her abortion provider before she can get an abortion. But, the kind of ultrasound required would have to be a transvaginal ultrasound. According to PennLive, “Rapp’s bill does not specify the type of ultrasound a woman would be forced to undergo to have an abortion. But since most abortions performed in Pennsylvania are done in the first trimester, a transvaginal ultrasound likely would be ordered.”

In other words, Republicans in Pennsylvania want to force women to be raped before they can get an abortion. That may sound harsh, but it is what it is. When a woman is compelled to have an object inserted into her vagina against her wishes, that is rape. When it is the state that is doing the compelling, that is state sanctioned rape. There is nothing else to call it. And what about women who get pregnant through rape? Well, they would have to be raped a second time by the state in order to get the abortion. That’s cruelty on a scale that even Republicans should be ashamed of. Clearly, the GOP is saying to women, ‘Either adopt our beliefs, or be humiliated and violated.’

These bills are coming up in the name of religious freedom but what it’s really about is forcing others to adopt the beliefs of others. Religious freedom doesn’t give someone the right to force their beliefs on someone else. It gives each person the right to believe what they want to believe without persecution. But persecution is exactly what Republicans are seeking. Republicans say this is about religious freedom but they conveniently ignore the religious freedom of the women they seek to strip rights from. To date, Republicans in Georgia, Virginia, Texas, Kansas, Nebraska, Ohio, Utah, and Oklahoma have all sought to pass laws that persecute women. Some of those states have successfully done so.

The Pennsylvania bill has fortunately been tabled for the time being, but it’s likely to be revisited since Pennsylvania has a Republican governor and a Republican dominated House and Senate. So, it’s still important to remain vigilant and watch this bill closely so that women’s rights and freedom aren’t quietly stripped in the middle of the night or worse yet, passed in the middle of the day to thunderous applause.